1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in language training methods, wherein the improved method can be used to teach language and language understanding. The system of the present invention is based on grammatical rules and utilizes dynamic interaction between colored objects which represent symbolically each part of speech of natural human languages. This invention further relates to teaching processes between interrelated components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Educational environments are constantly in search of effective and efficient ways to teach language. Most students reluctantly struggle through the required courses to learn their own language. Learning another language is usually seen as unconquerable. Therefore, a new method for understanding and acquiring proficiency in any language is desirable. Especially desirable would be a language training system which could represent graphically every word and every sentence in every language by utilizing animated graphical objects in which the action and interaction appropriately represents the grammatical function of each part of speech of "natural" language. It is also desirable that the method be amenable to all ages and educational levels, technical and conversational speech, work, school, home, initial basics of native language, a new language, and more advanced communication skills.
References such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,582 by Ruth L. Tucker, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,309 by Emily A. McCloskey, describe systems which utilize fixed, colored shapes which interrelate with one another so that the user may fit the partially related or interlocking pieces together to form proper sentences. McCloskey, for instance, discloses puzzle like shapes with symbols printed. The combination of puzzle pieces with symbols suggests proper arrangement of the parts of speech in order to form proper sentences. McCloskey claims to improve upon previous systems by allowing construction of generally unlimited sentence patterns and unlimited vocabulary. The previous puzzle and frame methods were inherently limited in this aspect.
References such as McCloskey are directed to overcoming the problem of students' inability to understand how each part of speech in a language relates to the other parts of speech by providing numerous speech elements and dividing them into color coded sets. However, simply aligning the proper parts of speech in an expression will not necessarily help the student conceptualize exactly how each part of speech acts or is acted upon. The student may see and understand the layout, but may not understand the layout's significance. For instance, placing a verb after a noun in the McCloskey model suggests nothing about how the verb acts upon the noun or how the noun is acting.
Thus, there is a deficiency in the prior art with respect to visual methods and apparatus of language instruction.